


Si loin de toi, je te vois partout

by fromthenorthernskies



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BACK ON MY BULLSHIT, Crystal being a small town florist, Emerald said: throuple rights, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Gigi being the model we all need and deserve, HERE I AM, I prefer fluff, Multi, Nicky being the French princess of pop, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Red String of Fate, Some angst but very light, The Clownery but with some French flavour™, also she speaks French and the idea of it pleases me greatly, no regrets whatsoever, that means soulmates and these three dumbasses, with her three best friends after taking over from her mentor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25025908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromthenorthernskies/pseuds/fromthenorthernskies
Summary: For as long as she could remember, Crystal had dealt with a recurring problem: instead of having a single red string tying her up to her “soulmate”, she had two. She was born with one, like everyone else around her, and then, when she was around five, she had started seeing the second one, tying itself on her second pinky. The two strings were of a similar deep red, like most people had described theirs. However, Crystal had never heard relatives or friends talking about multiple threads.ORCrystal’s a florist trying not build all her arrangements thinking of her soulmates; Gigi’s the lost soul that fled to Europe when she had the chance to become a fashion icon; and Nicky’s France’s new beloved singer. What do they all have in common, except that stupid red thread linking their pinkies?
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd, Nicky Doll/Crystal Methyd, Nicky Doll/Gigi Goode, Nicky Doll/Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd
Comments: 11
Kudos: 67





	Si loin de toi, je te vois partout

**Author's Note:**

> My hand might have slipped with a throuple because, who am I to not take the chance to write three of my favourites? 
> 
> But I must say I had to send to the trash at least five ideas before this one, so... – also it took me days to find a good variation of flowers for the bouquet, Jesus, what am I doing with my life…

For as long as she could remember, Crystal had dealt with a recurring problem: instead of having a single red string tying her up to her “soulmate”, she had _two_. She was born with one, like everyone else around her, and then, when the grinning redhead was around five, she had started seeing the second one, tying itself on her second pinky. The two strings were of a similar deep red, like most people had described theirs. However, Crystal had never heard relatives or friends talking about multiple threads.

That was when the struggle really started for the redhead. At first, Crystal couldn’t understand why it was such a problem. That just meant she had a heart big enough to love more than one person, and be loved back by two others, no? Apparently, people didn’t share the sentiment. Whenever she tried to talk about it, Crystal was getting shut down. When she was young, and naïve, she thought it meant she was special – one of a kind, destined for something different. Turns out, the only thing that professing she had more than one string attached to her did was make everyone laugh and shun her even more. Oh, and also send the usually smiling girl right into therapy by her parents for years on end.

After that, Crystal kept it under wraps, playing into her parents’ talks of how she had hallucinated the second string or had just wanted more attention than her brothers. But inside, she kept hoping to meet them, to make everyone realize how wrong they were – and how right _she_ was in the end. Crystal had dreams of walking around her hometown, in the hallways of her high school, and just be proud and loud with her soulmates.

It was the only thing that kept her going on until graduation. Right after Crystal finished high school, she moved out of the house, and started working with a kind woman named Widow, who owned the local flower shop. The black woman taught her everything there was to know about flowers, and how to arrange them beautifully. She even offered Crystal a place to stay until she had some money in bank. Widow was everything the redhead had wanted in a parental figure: motherly, helpful, and kind. And she didn’t shun her for having two soulmates, instead comforting her whenever the redhead burst into tears thinking about it.

At first, Crystal had started doing floristry to gather money to find her soulmates – in the end, she stayed and took over Widow when the woman started to get sick and needed to retire. After all, the flower shop, named the Black Widow, had also another trick up its sleeve. With time, she hired three other people to work with her, so she could handle the afflux of new clients that were delighted by her bouquets and who were trying to support Widow’s illness treatments. The three other women, Daya, Daegan and Lux, were incredibly supportive and quickly became her best friends. Crystal knew they were worried about her and the prospect of never finding her two soulmates.

She, however, was used to her threads being completely opposite of one another, and probably both her soulmates being across the whole world. The redhead was aware that the United States weren’t exactly the center of the universe but maybe she had hoped she could at least find one of them and be less lonely. Unfortunately, that never happened. Crystal just hoped her two bonded were actually together instead, so they wouldn’t feel too isolated. Like her. But it didn’t seem like it was the case – at least, not at first.

Her first thread, tied up around her left hand’s pinky, was deeply set to the east, and thus had been dubbed as such by Crystal, not knowing their name. No matter where Crystal’s family went on road trips – going as far as to Virginia or New York – the redhead never felt the thread between them lessen significantly. It was always tense, always stretched, and always seemed on the verge of breaking every day. It profoundly concerned the grinning girl, and she often wondered if East felt the same amount of worry for her and their fellow soulmate.

Her second thread had felt a bit different. Linked to her right hand’s pinky, it had changed orientations a few times. When Crystal had started to see it, almost as soon as her family had moved to Missouri, the red cord was set to the north, a bit to the east. Crystal had then dubbed them Northeast. Unlike her first string, this one seemed to stretch and pull from closer. Crystal had guessed that they were either in her country or in Canada, since their thread had sometimes felt shorter and less stretched, indicating closeness.

She had more hope for Northeast than for East, let’s just say that. Since she had started working, Crystal tried to go around the country, always to the northeast, always looking, until she felt it change abruptly one day for the west. The new distance between them felt uncomfortable. She had been close at times but the redhead could never pinpoint the exact location of her North American soulmate. Crystal had narrowed it to the area surrounding the Great Lakes, but that was it.

And then, just like that, Northeast changed locations again. To her surprise and shock, Crystal now felt their string just as taunt as the one she shared with East. That probably meant they were together, or, that at least Northeast was trying to find them. She commended their efforts, really. It still made her whine to think about it, though. She wanted _them_ , all her friends had found their own bonded. Why not her? Just because she had two instead of one? But Crystal guessed that her wish did actually come true: her two soulmates would be together now. She was happy for them. But…

_Did they even think about her?_

* * *

She had been working at the Black Widow for almost ten years, when she finally felt something change in her strings again. This was the first time she had felt them almost vibrate and Crystal was curious. Scratch that, she was anxious and overexcited. Did that mean she would finally meet one of her soulmates? Northeast? East? _Both of them?!_

As the redhead went to work, she tried to not daydream too much. She needed to keep the shop open, and while she knew her friends would absolutely sent her to find her two soulmates, a part of her was scared. Crystal was used to loneliness. Now that she was confronted with change, she wasn’t sure she was ready. And thus, she kept quiet to her friends, and went straight to work.

The local radio station, strangely, had started playing the same songs over and over during the last few days. Apparently, a new French sensation had stepped onto the musical scene, and was doing for the first time a US tour. Her name was Nicky Doll, and Crystal, intrigued, had googled her – and what a beauty she was. With her short blond hair and elegance etched on their traits, Crystal could definitely see why people were infatuated with the French woman. And her songs were good, even if she couldn’t understand a thing. The redhead appreciated the husky voice with the subtle inclinations in French.

That’s why when the radio announced an interview with the woman on her thoughts, Crystal had merely raised the volume up in the almost empty flower shop and continued to do her daily tasks of watering and preparing flowers for various events. To her dismay, Nicky’s voice in English sounded even more lovely, her slight accent making Crystal shiver even through the speakers of the radio.

_“So, tell us about your new hit song: À Distance,”_ started the interviewer, absolutely butchering the French words as he went. Nicky didn’t seem bothered by it – or maybe was she just used to it by now? Crystal wasn’t sure. 

_“This was actually my favourite song to write of the album. I wrote it with my soulmate. Well, one of them. I think it represents well our feelings for the one we haven’t found yet”,_ confessed Nicky in a soft voice.

Crystal frowned, her arrangement of irises and roses sitting idly by on the table. It wasn’t common for people to have multiple soulmates. Even less to publicly expose it like that. That Nicky Doll had nerve, she had to admit. The redhead liked that, also she could absolutely relate.

_“Tell us about the lyrics. Most here in the US don’t speak French. If you wanted your soulmate to only understand one part, which one would you sing to them?”_ asked the interviewer.

_“I think I’d invite them to actually listen to the pre-chorus and the chorus of the song, it does explains how my soulmate and I feel for them,”_ smoothly replied Nicky.

_“Thank you so much for your time today, that’s all we had, you’re gonna be in show tonight in Missouri, right?”_

_“Thank you for your time! I’m in Springfield tonight, then I’ll continue my tour in the Midwest in a few days!”_

_“Thank you so much, Nicky Doll, we wish you a successful tour in the US and now, for our listeners, let’s listen to À Distance! Stay tuned!”_

Crystal toned down the volume, flabbergasted. _It couldn’t be…_ She guessed she could find some tickets for tonight’s show, just to make sure. Or at least, she hoped she could. Without realizing, the florist was already looking for tickets online.

“Crys, what are you doing?” Daegan was looking at her best friend like she was crazy – she supposed it wasn’t so far from the truth. Her hands were slightly shaking, while she made her way through the websites selling the tickets. None left. Anywhere. _She needed to see if it was them –_

“Crystal!”

The redhead jumped, and watched as her three best friends were now looking at her in concern. She sighed, putting down her phone abruptly on the counter, and raked her nails through her long, untamed hair. “I think I found my soulmates,” she barely managed to squeak in a high-pitched voice. The florist wasn’t ready for the avalanche of screams and screeches from the three of them, especially since they all came around to hug her wildly. After a few minutes, Daya dared to ask. “How did you know? Who are they?”

“Both of them?!” asked Lux, getting worked up.

Crystal shrugged, confusion etched on her traits. “I’m not _sure_ , but I think it could be the French singer – and her soulmate, of course.”

“You mean Gigi Goode, the _fucking_ model of Vogue Paris?! _Holy shit_ ,” Daegan gasped in shock.

Daya scoffed. “No, you mean _Nicky fucking Doll_ , France’s new princess of pop _and_ Gigi Goode, her consort by adoption?”

“Wait, Gigi is not French? I honestly thought she was,” confessed Lux with a scrunch of her nose in disbelief. 

“Girl, she may speak legit French but she’s just as a pure American as us”, stated Daya with a deadpan expression. “Well, most of us,” she conceded, giving a look at a daydreaming Crystal, remembering the woman’s Mexican origins.

Crystal had been hearing her best friends’ debate from somewhat afar, concentrated on her hands. Her dark brown eyes were now riveted to both of her pinkies, straining in the same direction, leaving little to no doubt as to if her soulmates were together or not. Could she really have Nicky Doll and Gigi Goode as her two bonded? She was nothing – just a simple florist in the middle of the American Midwest. The redhead sighed. She still needed to at least get closer to the theatre where the show was so she could verify her theory. _Oh God, what if they were in Missouri for her?!_

“Guys, I need to go”, the owner of the Black Widow interrupted, removing in a haste her apron and grabbing her keys and bag from below the counter. Her three friends, suddenly speechless, were looking at her with surprise. “Please close for me tonight, and finish that bouquet, but I need to _know_.”

Crystal had never strayed far from her home, especially with her parents getting older. With Widow being sick. With her friends needing her support. But for once, she needed to do something for her – it was, perhaps, her only chance.

_She was taking it_.

* * *

Crystal actually took the time to google the lyrics of Nicky’s song. When she translated them, still running through the small roads to get to the place of the show, she had to keep a chocked sob inside.

_So far away from you, I see you everywhere_

_Like a shadow, you look after me_

_At distance, we found the words even in silence_

_We’ve seen each other even when closing our eyes_

_We’ve found each other even without waiting for each other_

_Oh, at distance…_

Every step she took brought her closer to them, the redhead could feel it, she felt the tension and pull on her red threads diminish for every meter she traveled. She had never felt them so close, had never dared to believe that one day, it could happen. At almost 28, she had more of less lost all hope regarding it. She kept telling herself that she would travel east, to look for them, but she was scared. Crystal was terrified – and each year that passed added to the frightening feeling she had. It crept up on her, keeping the redhead from actually make a move.

When she arrived at the destination, it was packed with people both inside and outside the building and she scowled, agitated. The show was already well on its way, as the redhead could hear music, but most importantly, Nicky’s deep husky voice singing in French. A shiver made its made through the length of her spine at the thought of the woman talking to her, or singing to her, personally. Crystal looked around, unsure of how to proceed from there. She couldn’t stay in the middle of the crowd, she would get trampled, for sure. Looking for a way out, she went to the side, and instantly felt her breathing ease.

She raked her long nails through her wild mess of curls, and groaned. How was she supposed to do any of this? She had rushed here without a real plan, hoping for what? That God would do all the job? Crystal never was lucky, and it wasn’t about to start now – in fact, she kind of expect the contrary to happen.

Until she saw her.

She had long, wavy blonde hair that shined under the bright lights of the theatre, illuminating them both. Her legs seemed to go on for days, and Crystal could clearly see why she was a model, with her lanky and slim silhouette. Her eyes were striking, all shades of blue and grey twirled together to create an unnameable colour. The other’s lithe hands were occupied with holding a large bouquet of flowers, probably for Nicky’s performance. It was sweet. It also probably came from her shop, and Crystal grimaced inwardly. She instantly clocked the red, pink and white roses, amongst the amaryllis and red irises, but wasn’t too sure of the rest; she was getting distracted. “You…?”

“You’re Gigi Goode,” Crystal almost instantly blurted out, feeling like hitting herself in the face shortly after. She slowly dropped her gaze to her right hand, especially her red thread, and followed the thin crimson line’s path until it stopped at the younger woman’s right pinky, mirroring her own. _So it was true_.

“You’re Crystal. My soulmate,” said the blonde, obliviously making the same conclusion in her brain. But how did she know her name?! “ _Putain_ , _Nicky avait raison_ ,” Gigi rambled, with a slight accent to die for. “Your friends told me that you went looking for us when I picked up the flowers.” Gigi then made a vague gesture to the large bouquet nestled safely in her arms for the time being. “But I –“

Crystal’s worry grew exponentially when she realized the fashion icon seemed speechless, not having spoken for a few seconds that felt too long. Against her own will, she started to fidget uncontrollably against the cold wall, and could feel her eyes begin to water. _Shit_. She really did put the “cry” in Crystal huh?

“I’m sorry if I –“ she started, with a tight voice, before breathing carefully. She tightened her fingers into a fist, making their thread waver slightly from the force of it. “I’m sorry if I’m not what you expected. I’m not a model, I’m not a singer, I’m just a local florist that tries to get by”, she mumbled, finally letting out a few tears drop on the hard ground.

“ _Quoi?_ ” Gigi began loudly, only to stop mid-thought. “Crystal, why would you think that?” The adoptive French woman seemed to ponder on going near her bonded or stay put, and finally hesitantly pulled the redhead into her arms, softly holding her while sobs raked the elder’s lean frame. Crystal instantly relaxed into the tall one’s embrace, her head nestled into the crook of Gigi’s neck. Her left hand gripped the blonde’s vest tightly, while the right one found its place alongside Gigi’s, their fingers almost immediately linking.

“You just… didn’t say anything,” muttered the florist, her voice muffled. Gigi frowned, and pushed the woman back slightly to watch her face, tenderly wiping her tears away.

“I was just speechless,” confessed Gigi. “When Nicky told me she wanted to do a US tour so we could find you – admittedly based only on my impressions of our link growing up – I wasn’t convinced. I thought we’d never find you. I mean, I did try to find you before leaving for Europe and I never did. So I lost hope,” she finished, a regretful expression twisting her beautiful features. Crystal squeezed their hands, showing support. “I’m really happy to be with you now,” smiled the model, and, still holding her right hand, Gigi lead her towards the backdoor of the theatre.

“You’re also welcome to wait in our dressing room with me,” proposed Gigi with a low voice, dragging the redhead forward slightly. “I’m sure Nicky will be delighted to see you when she comes back from the scene,” insinuated the model with a flirty smirk. “But for now… I guess I get to have you just for me,” she trailed off with a wink.

Crystal flushed instantly, going beet red and mindlessly following the other one. She trusted Gigi, but she wasn’t sure her heart could handle all of it.

* * *

After watching with Gigi the rest of Nicky’s show through the television in their dressing room, Crystal was nervous again. As she saw Nicky smiling and waving at the crowd, she knew the other blonde would come back to Gigi sooner than later. And she was just… there. Involuntarily, the redhead bit down on her bottom lip, her dark eyes fixated on the crimson string leaving the room.

Gigi must have noticed her anxiety, as she just came closer to her and nuzzled her neck tenderly, kissing at the skin softly. Crystal exhaled a shaky breath she didn’t know she was holding previously. “Relax… she’s gonna be just as anxious as you, maybe more,” promised Gigi. Crystal scoffed. How could the tall, poised French singer feel just as much nervousness as her?

“I know you don’t believe me, but Nicky’s a dork. A very worried dork, underneath all her layers and walls of perfectionism and elegance.”

Crystal sighed, squeezing her soulmate’s hand for confidence. She didn’t have time for anything else, before the door burst open, a dishevelled blonde crossing the threshold instantly, closing it behind her with a groan. “ _Gigi, putain, on a un problème, t’as ressenti ça toi aussi pendant –“_

Nicky instantly stopped talking when she saw the stranger in her dressing room and dropped her pale blue eyes to her hands, gasping loudly when she made the connexion between the _stranger_ and their red threads. “ _Okay_ , I guess that answers my question,” the French singer said instead, still leaning against the door with curiosity but also some fright etched on her features.

Gigi took it in strides to make things go better between them. Wordlessly, she stood up, moving away from Crystal, giving Nicky the bouquet she had picked up earlier with a soft smile, and also handing her a water bottle, with a raise of her perfect eyebrow. Watching the performer hydrating herself, and lightly smelling the flowers before putting them back on the desk nearby, Crystal was mesmerized, her dark eyes riveted on her other soulmate’s every action. Gigi was beautiful, and she wasn’t blind, but Nicky _also_ had something about her, something in the way she moved and interacted with Gigi that made the florist swoon dangerously. Gigi had been forward, determined – not unkind or violent, but she knew what she wanted and the model went for it, be it to bring Crystal to her dressing room or interacting with her French girlfriend.

Nicky, on the other hand, seemed to be the opposite; she was all small touches and almost accidental grazes along the other’s pale skin. She was touching the other blonde with almost reverence, treating her like she was a fragile and precious possession. It was endearing. The duality between their ways of interacting with each other was making Crystal’s head spin. _Could she have that, too…?_

Lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed the French singer come closer to her, until Nicky was close enough that Crystal could smell her sweet perfume, even after sweating from performing for almost two hours. She raised her eyes to meet the pools of blue, seemingly cautious but interested in her. She could see Gigi talking with someone on the phone nearby.

The French woman just held her hand out for her to take. “I’m Nicky, I’m really happy to meet you, _finally_ ,” she said with a quivery voice, and Crystal instantly noticed her accent that was much thicker than before. Crystal remembered clearly Gigi vowing that Nicky was gonna be just as anxious as her, and she could see it now. Calming her overactive imagination, she grabbed Nicky’s hand, but instead of shaking it, she merely tugged her into her lap, hugging her tightly. She heard the blonde squeak when she was pulled, but she almost instantly laughed. The redhead felt at home, absolutely at ease, surrounded by the warmth of Nicky. Crystal started laughing too. “I’m Crystal”, she simply murmured, hearing the other woman echo it with her accent, a shiver running down her spine. She realized that she quite enjoyed Nicky speaking, as she had previously assumed.

Without realizing it, they had calmed down, their eyes locking. Nicky had a soft, tender smile playing on her full lips, and Crystal held her gaze when she felt the French woman’s long fingers barely graze her flushed cheeks. She let her soulmate just familiarize herself with the feeling of her tanned skin, and held her hips tightly against her. She wasn’t letting Nicky go, not after twenty-eight years alone.

“Just kiss already,” yawned Gigi, who had apparently finished her phone call and was eyeing them with a smirk, bending over the couch to watch them. Nicky frowned, but before she could even say anything, Gigi carried on. “Not like me and Crystal didn’t, Nick, _you know it’s fine_ , we talked about it,” reassured the model. Crystal was watching them gingerly, flushing even more when Gigi admitted they had kissed while waiting for the singer. Gathering her almost non-existent nerve, Crystal tugged on Nicky’s shirt, bringing back the attention of the French woman on her. Their noses grazed one another before Crystal caught the older one’s bottom lip between her own, making Nicky sigh and push herself more against her.

Crystal could hear Gigi cooing softly at them in the background and smiled against her will, breaking away from her soulmate after a few more seconds. Nicky groaned at the loss, and opened darkened blue eyes to watch her with curiosity, her gaze moving between her two bonded, a grin making its way on her lips easily.

“What happens now?” asked Crystal, feeling her anxiety come back in spades now that she wasn’t doing anything else to distract herself. The redhead felt Nicky snuggle into her more, while Gigi’s arms sneaked around her neck from behind the couch. The younger blonde just kissed her unruly curls and smiled softly. “What do _you_ want to happen?”

“Obliviously, I wanna be with you two, I waited years for that,” Crystal blurted out. “But I know you two live in France, you have your careers, and I have the shop here with my friends and my family and I just –“

“Breathe, _mon amour_. We don’t need to have everything figured out tonight,” promised Nicky. “I still have to finish my US tour. Gigi follows me, picking up some contracts here and there.”

“You’re welcome to stay here or follow us, either way, we’ll be there for you,” promised Gigi, tightening her hold on the redhead. “We have calls, texts, FaceTime, and so much ways to keep in touch, it won’t be hard.”

“We’ll always come back for you, now that we know you.”

“Always.”

“Always,” echoed Nicky, her forehead pressed against Crystal’s.

For the first time in 28 years, Crystal believed it was going to be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> A few days ago, I saw a post on the red thread of fate, so here I am writing about it and going back to my roots of writing soulmate AUs with the clowns.
> 
> Loosely inspired by a French song that kept playing on the radio each time I sat down to try to find ideas (I’m not even kidding).


End file.
